‘EV Pride Day’ for Waiheke Island

A second “EV Pride Day” is planned on Waiheke Island in Auckland on Sunday February 12, 2023.

Electric Island Waiheke (EIW) held the inaugural EV Pride Day in March 2020 but others planned in following years were cancelled due to COVID concerns.

EV Pride Day is an opportunity allowing Waiheke EV owners and Waiheke Island visitors to feel proud about owning an electric vehicle and to display this satisfaction, EIW says.

“All Waiheke EV owners will be invited to bring their vehicles to the carpark at PlaceMakers Waiheke and Waiheke Living, 102 Ostend Rd, Ostend, Waiheke Island on Sunday February 12, 2023, from 2.15pm. EIW greatly appreciates the co-operation extended by these two companies.”

The 2023 event aims to create a world record for the most EVs assembled in one place on an island.

EV drivers will be directed to their parking and register, while drone photography is planned of assembled EVs.

An EV convoy will then travel about five kilometres from Ostend to Oneroa Village before dispersing.

Further publicity is planned by EIW, which will also invite EV owners on its email database which will be extended to include electric scooters and possibly e-bikes.

EIW has been working with Big Street Bikers to establish Locky Dock e-bike locking and charging stations on the Island.

A charitable trust formed in October 2018 to accelerate EV uptake and remove fossil fuel use on the island, EIW was officially launched on November 30, 2018, with special guest Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association secretary general Christina Bu, to make the island fossil fuel free by 2030. 

EIW lists 568 EVs on the island, including 396 Nissan Leafs, and it is involved in promoting EVs, e-bikes, e-scooters, solar power and any equipment that does not rely on using fossil fuels.

It aims for Waiheke Island to be among the first islands in the world to use electricity for powering all transport

“Our vision for Waiheke is for an island free of the pollution, noise, emissions and costs of petrol, hybrid (non-plug-in), and diesel engines,” EIW explains, including a parallel vision for energy self-sufficiency using mainly solar and wind generation.

“We believe this can be achieved by encouraging moves now to an all-electric future.”

Click here or contact Pride Day co-organiser John Mead, john.mead@electricisland.co.nz, for more information.